Putim is a municipality and village in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. The village centre is well preserved and is protected by law as a village monument zone.

Etymology

The name is derived from the personal name Putim, meaning "Putim's (court)".

Geography

Putim is located about 5 km south of Písek and 40 km northwest of České Budějovice. It lies in the České Budějovice Basin. The highest point is the hill Zubovský vrch 442 m above sea level. The village is situated on the right bank of the Blanice River, on the shore of the Podkostelní Pond.

History

Historically, the spot was inhabited sporadically first by Celtic tribes (2nd century BCE), then by Romans (1st century) and then subsequently by old Slavs during the 8th century. Since the 11th century, the area of the settlement has been permanently occupied. The first written mention of Putim is in a document from 1205, which mentions an older document probably from the period 1148–1158. In the 13th century, Putim became a property of the town of Písek.

Demographics

Transport

Putim is located on the railway lines České Budějovice–Písek and Tábor–Strakonice.

Sights

The main lamdmark of Putim is the Church of Saint Lawrence. It is an early Gothic building from the second half of the 13th century. There are several valuable houses built in the folk baroque style.

In literature

In one chapter of the novel The Good Soldier Švejk the author describes how Švejk in Putim meets up with a local gendarmerie officer, who is constantly drunk and who mistakes Švejk for a Russian spy. The first statue of Švejk in the Czech Republic was unveiled in Putim in 2014. Putim was also nationwide popularized by the novel of Jindřich Šimon Baar Jan Cimbura.